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https://www.army.mil/article/132987/1st_Air_Cav_Soldiers_keep_Gray_Eagles_soaring/

1st Air Cav Soldiers keep Gray Eagles soaring

FORT HOOD, Texas - Capable of flying in excess of 20,000 feet in the air, the MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system provides real-time surveillance, reconnaissance and attack capabilities to aid Troopers on the ground and aircraft in the sky.

The real work, however, takes place behind the scenes.

Soldiers with Company E and Company F, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division provide the manpower and expertise needed to keep unmanned Gray Eagles soaring.

"We're the eyes in the sky," said Sgt. Dennis Hoffman, a Taylor, Pa., native and unmanned aircraft systems repairer with F-227th. "Our job as operators and maintainers is to keep our ground troops and helicopters safe, and the Gray Eagle gives us the capabilities to do so."

Hoffman has been with the Air Cav since graduating from advanced individual training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, four years ago and is now a quality control noncommissioned officer and technical inspector for his company.

"I had the chance to become a UAS operator, but I've always liked working on things," said Hoffman. "My [AIT] class was actually the first in the Army designated with the military occupational specialty 15E. Not a lot of people can say they have this job; I can proudly say I was one of the first."

During AIT, Hoffman spent more than 10 months learning how to maintain every component of the Gray Eagle UAS and RQ-7 Shadow unmanned aircraft system - a smaller aircraft used for reconnaissance, surveillance and battle damage assessment.

He went on to deploy to Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, with the unit for a year in March 2012. While deployed, Hoffman said he and his fellow maintainers and operators worked day-in and day-out in support of the unit's launch and recovery mission.

"We maintained 12 aircraft, six ground control stations, six ground data terminals, and two satellite ground data terminals while deployed," he said. "Flying missions 12 hours a day, seven days a week, we logged over 11,000 flight hours, while typically launching five birds a day to secure the area. We made a difference."

A difference, Hoffman said, that ultimately saved, and still saves lives.

"There's no doubt that what we do with Gray Eagles saves lives," he explained. "Not only are we preventing casualties on the battlefield, but if a UAS goes down, there's also no loss of life. It's a win-win. What we have two junior enlisted Soldiers doing now, is what it took a helicopter and six troops 10 years ago to do."

Spc. Alexander Curry, a Stewart, Fla., native and unmanned aerial vehicle operator with F-227th, has worked side-by-side with Hoffman since entering the unit almost three years ago.

Like Hoffman, Curry spent about a year in AIT learning the ins and outs of the Gray Eagle and Shadow, but during his schooling, training focused on flight planning, radio communication, air space regulations and flight simulations, he said.

"Our training was intense," he said. "We are expected to exceed the standard from the time we're privates."

While being with the Air Cav, Curry went to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, with the unit in January of this year. During the rotation, he said he executed operations that helped him hone his skills as an operator.

"I had the chance to undertake lots of hands-on training," said Curry. "I conducted overwatch and tracked vehicles, among other things, as our unit logged over 300 flight hours. Spending lots of time in the ground control station, I was reminded how important it is to constantly scan the controls to ensure we're operating at the proper location, altitude, temperature and speed - all at the same time."

Now back at Robert Gray Army Airfield, Curry said he and his fellow operators are continuing to take every training opportunity possible.

"We have to stay proficient to be successful in our mission," said Curry. "Whether we're executing an attack mission with Hellfire missiles, or simply providing overwatch, it's essential for us to be prepared to support the ground pounders and sister aircraft at all times."

Symbolically,…. the Kav.

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